Our Washingtonian Recommends lists bring you the best places to eat, drink, and be entertained—all selected by Washingtonian editors.
This post has been updated from an earlier version.
One of DC’s most famous neighborhoods is a prime place to breakfast or brunch before hitting the shops, waterfront, or the National Mall.
Inexpensive to Moderate
Boulangerie Christophe
1422 Wisconsin Ave., NW
This lovely St. Tropez-inspired bakery opens bright and early (7:30 AM daily) and sells award-winning baguettes alongside beautiful sweets. Those looking to linger can stop in for omelets, sweet or savory crepes, and Benedicts served for daily breakfast and lunch.
Chaia
3207 Grace St., NW
This airy vegetarian taqueria works well for both grab-and-go and sit-down meals (hello, mezcal Palomas). Homemade corn tortillas are stuffed with local eggs and black beans, or seasonal veggie combos.
Call Your Mother
3428 O St., NW
Spot the bright pink facade—and weekend lines—and you’ve found DC’s uber-popular local bagel chainlet. Creative bagel sandwiches are the draw, such as the Sun City with pastrami or bacon, eggs, cheese, and spicy honey. Need a place to sit? Don’t do it on a nearby stoop (here’s a map of outdoor options).
Green Almond Pantry
3210 Grace St., NW
Chef Cagla Onal’s Mediterranean gem tucked in the back of Grace Street Market is well worth seeking out. The daily chalkboard menu boasts finds like seasonal focaccia, seven-minute egg sandwiches, and dips and salads. Take dishes for a picnic on the canal (you can order in advance online).
Maman
1353 Wisconsin Ave., NW
New York’s cozy-chic bakery-turned-lifestyle-brand arrived in Georgetown two years ago. It’s rightly known for its breakfast sandwich slathered with sweet bacon jam, and turns out nice quiches and croissants. Early risers will like the 7:30 AM daily start time (the kitchen opens at 8 AM).
Patisserie Poupon
1645 Wisconsin Ave., NW
A longtime source of buttery croissants and light Parisian-style lunches. The narrow, very French patisserie also offers flaky quiches and baguette sandwiches. Don’t skip desserts like delicate fruit tarts with your cafe au lait.
Yellow
1524 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Albi chef Michael Rafidi is behind this ultra-popular cafe on Wisconsin Avenue. Swing by for creative Levantine-accented breakfast treats—orange blossom or labne-and-zaatar croissants, harissa-streaked egg sandwiches, lamb-topped shakshuka—and fuel up with a baklava latte.
Moderate to Spendy
Apéro
2622 P St., NW
This off-the-beaten-path Georgetown charmer from veteran sommelier Elli Benchimol serves elegant brunch plates like eggs en cocotte or a crispy potato waffle with creme fraiche and gravlax. You can do it up even more with Champagne or caviar with all the accoutrements.
Chez Billy Sud
1039 31st St., NW
Georgetown loves its French restaurants, and this celadon-painted dining room is especially lovely during the day. On weekends, you’ll find bistro staples like escargots and moules frites, plus brunch fare—buckwheat crepes with lemon cream, bruleed French toast, and a croque madame.
Clyde’s of Georgetown
3236 M St., NW
There’s nothing hip or cutting-edge about the original Clyde’s, but what it does, it does well. Namely, unfussy American classics at reasonable prices: Benedicts, chili, turkey clubs, and that crab tower.
Farmers Fishers Bakers
3000 K St., NW
If you’ve got a tricky group to feed—finicky toddlers, timid palates—this harbor-front dining room has something for everyone. The menu is an all-American grab bag of comfort plates like fried chicken, pizza, jambalaya, salads, tiki cocktails, and more. You’ll find many of the above on the weekend brunch buffet ($35.50 for adults; $15.50 for kids 7 to 12; children under 3 eat free). There’s weekday full-service breakfast, too
La Bonne Vache
3265 Prospect St., NW
What was once Booeymonger is now one of the coziest restaurants in Georgetown. The no-reservations dining room doesn’t serve a brunch menu, but weekend lunch starts at 11 and features ouefs mimosa, salmon rillettes, and a bevy of burgers. Ease into the day with a slate of low-alcohol cocktails.
Lutèce
1522 Wisconsin Ave., NW
This snug brick-walled neo-bistro and sidewalk patio feel more Paris than DC. Chef Matt Conroy’s weekend lunch menu is full of simple-seeming pleasures, and features dishes like a brioche doughnut with sorrel and creme fraiche, or heirloom grains with pancetta and tomato cream.
Martin’s Tavern
1264 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Craving a Benedict (or homemade creamed chipped beef) on a Tuesday afternoon? Georgetown’s historic 92 year-old pub has you covered. Lunch and brunch is served every day of the week until 4 PM.
The River Club
3000 K St., NW
This chic, sprawling dining room near the waterfront dabbles in three cuisines: Italian, Spanish, and Lebanese. At brunch, that translates to dishes like a labne-and-fig parfait with pistachio crumble; eggs and crispy potatoes with Serrano ham, aioli, and pimenton; and pasta al limone.
The Sovereign
1206 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Go for a stick-to-your-ribs Belgian brunch at the Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s beer-centric restaurant, where you can pad the stomach before heading to the upstairs beer hall. Specialties include sweet or savory waffles, mussel pots, tartines, and more.
1310 Kitchen & Bar
1310 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Chef Jenn Crovato’s under-the-radar restaurant in the Georgetown Inn serves both weekday breakfast and weekend brunch, with plenty of local offerings like Call Your Mother bagels, Baked and Wired granola, and Ivy City Smokehouse salmon. A wide-ranging menu hits all the brunch spots: healthy acai bowls and egg white omelets, indulgent pancakes and Benedicts, and everything in between.
Go Ahead and Splurge
Fiola Mare
3050 K St., NW
At night, chef Fabio Trabocchi’s luxe waterfront Italian seafood room can be a celebrity hangout of the Washington and Hollywood variety. Brunch can skew a little younger and livelier thanks to a prix-fixe with bottomless Prosecco and brunch cocktails (a la carte is also available). It’s not your average all-you-can-sip at $85 per person, but the set menu—which includes a warm pastry basket, choice of appetizer, entree, dessert—is generous.
Seasons
2800 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
The most sumptuous Sunday brunch buffet in DC can be found at the Four Seasons Georgetown. A stately dining room is filled with stations heaped with raw bar fare, salads, carved meats, and made-to-order omelets. Save room for a trip to the “dessert room.” The all-you-can-eat spread is $169 for adults ($96 for children under 11). The place is also a fixture on the weekday power-breakfast scene.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
